Sign-plate and method of making same.



t. L'KIRKER 6L T. W. OLGES.

SIGN PLATE AND MEYHOD OF MAKING SAME. APPLICATON meh APR.20. 1911.

@2&990@ Patented Dec. 24,1918.

treuren srarns ERL .TAI'KES KIRKER AND THEODORE WILLAM OLGES, OE COVNGZQN, KEHJ SIGN-PLATE AND METHOD 0F MAKN SAME.

Lggggq Specification of Letter-s Patent. jgftntfdl u Application iiled April 20, 1917. Serial Nc. 163,392.

5 of Kenton and State of Kentucky, have The sheet-metal plate is printed as shown jointly invented certain new and useful Irnin Figs. 2 and 3, from a printing-plate so provenients in Sign Plates and Methods of designed that the portions of i. ""t A Making Same, of which the following is a which are to imitate the corroded n specification. an etched plate, will receive the print t5 lo @ur `invention relates to metallicv signpressions, as shown at 16. llhe plates and to the method of making the impressions are preferably fori` A same, and has for its object the provision slightly irregular surfaces so to pizzent a of a sign which will closely resemble a usual dull, unglazed appearance, forming astrik etched sign-plate, but which Inay be manuing resemblance to the corroded portions of 7o 15 factured in large vquantities at a fraction of a genuine etched plate.

the cost of genuine etched signs. .F or this purpose we employ a printingrlhe invention consists in a novel method ink having a fatty body, such for example, of printing portions of the face of a suitable as the inks used in lithographie printing, sheet-metal plate, so as to obtain dull unand add to such ink a binding agent, w iicl. 75 2o glazed printed surfaces, and subsequently may be silicate of soda for example, and, embossing the sheet-metal plate to forni rewhich is adapted to cause greater cohesion lief portions upon its face intermediate of among the pigiients of the ink, and to puitq the printed surfaces, the relief and printed up the pigments into a slightly irregular surportions of the plate together forming a face, as shown at 19, when the ink is applied 25 novel imitation of the non-corroded and corto the 'metallic surface of the signplate. roded portions of a genuine etched sign- The use of such printing ink pern'iits the plate. making of the printed impression upon the The invention will be readily understood metallic sign-plate from a usual etched printfrom the following` description and claims, ing-plate without resorting to lithographie Se 3o and from the draw1ngs,in Which latter: printing, the binding agent providing the Figure 1 is a plan view of a signplate necessary tack to cause the ink to adhere formed in accordance with our invention. to the metallic signplate, and uniting the Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragxnentaryplan pigments for producing sufficient viscidity view of a corner of the metallic plate from and stiiiness in the ink to prevent the ink se 35 which the sign-plate is formed, after print being pressed out of the printing lines of the ingI the same. printing-plate, when, the latter is forced Fig. 3 is a cross-section taken upon the against the sign-plate with the necessary line 3-3 of Fig. 2, the parts being eXaggerpressure for making a printed impression ated for the sake of clcarness. upon metal. e5 4c Fig. 4 is a vertical cross-section of a siinlf desired, the `,face of thel signplate inay pliied apparatus, by means of which the be provided with a protective coating of embossing of the metallic plate may be perl lacquer, either before or after making "'.he formed. printed impression, to prei/ent tarnishing of Fig. 5 is a cross-section similar to Fig. 3' the metal. icc e5 showing the metallic plate as received fromY rlhe sign-plate after being printed is subthe embossing press; and, jected to the action of embossing dies (see Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary longi- Fig. el) for raising the unprinted portions tudinal section of the sign-plate taken iipon 20 of the sign-plate, which are between the the line 6--6 of Fig. l. printed surfaces 16, above the printed surich so Qur improved sign is exemplified as faces, in imitation of the difference height formed from a sheet-metal plate represented of the non-corroded and corroded portions at ll. rlfhe sheet-metal plate is preferably of a genuine etched plate.7 The embossing formedflat, and is instanced as comprising dies comprise a raised die 2l., preferably a backing l2 suitably plated with a facingv formed of a softer metal than the usual "ilo et 13, the surface lll of which is adapted to steel embossing dies, such as eine for e;

T 0 all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that we, EARL d. Kranen and THEonoRn W. OLGES, citizens of the United States, residing at Covington, in the county form the face of the sign-plate. The facing sheet-metal plate is preferably of less tract able and less ductile metal instaneed as Yule.

are le and a coactine sunken 912, preferably formed of a material somewhat yieldable under pressure.

The die face 23 of the raised die, is exemplified as formed with raised portions 24 conforming to the portions of the 'sign-plate which are to appear in relief, and prefer* ably having fiat outer surfaces 25. These raised portions of ythe die-face are preferably formed slightly scant of the areas of the unprinted portions :26 of the sign-plate, whereby the unprinted surfaces may be raised in relief by the raised die, without the liability of also raising parts of the printed surfaces 16 at the edges 'of the re- 5 lief surfaces.

The sunken die is preferablyv formed by making an impression of the raised die in the surface of a layer of plastic material. As an exemplification, the sunken die is instanced as formed by coating the upper surface of a flexible cushioning backing, such as a sheet of paper 27 lwhich is placed upon the base of a molding press, with a plastic composition 28, instanced as a composition having a putty base, and making an impression in the plastic composition by the raised die secured to the head of the molding press. A cushioned sunken die, somewhat yield able under pressure, and having a matrix complemental `to the die face of the raised die, including dat bottom surfaces 29 in the depressions 30 of the matrix, is thus formed.

rlhe sunken die is secured upon the platen 32 of an embossing press, and the sign-plate to be embossed is placed face down upon the sunken die with the unprinted portions of the sign-plate in registry with the depressions 30 in thematrix of the sunken die. The raised die, secured to the head 33 of the embossing press, is then impressed into the backing of the sheet-metal sign-plate to force the metal 0f 'the facing of the signplate into the depressions of the sunken die. A shearing action between the complementa] lateral walls of the embossing dies will be prevented by the plastic material of the sunken die spreading slightly when under pressure, to accommodate the thickness of the metal of the sign-plate between the coacting walls of the dies. l

` rlhe comparatively thin, metal backing of the sign-plate is readily impressed and shaped by the raised die, as shown at 34, without bending or buckling the adjacent portions of the sign-plate which are not impressed. The facing of the sheet-metal plate, being of a more tenacious and ductile metal, is readily bent and drawn out as shown at 35, to conform to the contour of the matrix formed by the sunken die, and at the same time forms a binder for the less tractable backing layer of the metallic plate. Y

Sufficient pressure is exerted through the raised die against the backing of the signplate7 to force the metal of the facing of the plate against the plane bottom 'surfacesI 29 of the de )ressions in the sunken die, so that flat surfaces 36 may be formed upon the raised unprinted portions 20 of the surface of the'sign-plate. l

The embossing dies, having a certain amount of flexibility or pliancy, due to the use of one of the softer metals for the raised die, and to the formation of the sunken die with a cushioning backing and of a yildable, plastic, material, the dies will yield slightly when under pressure, so that the portions of the sheet-metal sign-plate t-o be embossed may beraised to an appreciable height,A without the liability of tearing the metal or cracking the ink upon the intaglio surfaces of .the sign-plate at the edges of the surfaces which are in relief.

lVhen the embossing of the sign-plate has been accomplished, the edges of the plate are preferably reversely bent, as shown at 38 (see Fig. 6), and the marginal portions of the plate may be beveled as shown at 39, by any well-known mechanism. A backingsheet 40 may be secured to the yrear of the sign-plate for providing a neat and finished appearance.

Having thus fully described our invention, what We claim as new and desire t0 secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. The method of forming a .sign plate which consists in printing a portion of the plate with a less tractable backing, printing a portion of Athe surface of said ductile metal plate with a heavy viscid ink, embossing the imprinted portion -of said plate while said ductile metal plate and less tractable backing are superposed and by means of a die and matrix, both of which are of yieldable material, the material of said matrix being more yieldable than the` material of said die, so as 'to make said printed portion appear depressed with relation to said imprinted portion, in imitation of the corroding effect of an acid etching.

3. The method of forming a sign plate which consists in providing a ductile metal plate with a less tractable backing, printing a portion of the surface of said ductile metal plate with'a heavy viscid ink,^embossing the unprinted portion of said plate with a die having less width than the width of said imprinted portion for preventing the raising of any of said printed portions to the height of said unprinted portion and doi ing` said embossing While said ductile metal plate and said less tractable backing are superposed. and by means of said die and a matrix, both said die and said matrix bein of yieldable material, the material of Sai matrix being more yieldable than the material of said die, so as to make said printed portion appear depressed with relation to said 'unprinted portion in imitation'of the corroding effect of acid etching.

4. As an article Aof manufacture, a sign plate comprising a ductile metal plate and a less tractablc backing therefor superposed,

lI5 said ductile metal plate and said less tract-4 plate.

able packing having coinciding intaglio portionsand coinciding cameo portions formed therein, said intaglio portions being printed with a viscid ink and said cameo portions standing out in relief, all in imitation of the corroded and relief portions of an etched In testimony whereof we have hereunto signed our names in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EARL JAMES KIRKER. THEODORE WILLIAM OLGES. Witnesses:

CHARLES E. WEBER, R. W. SMITH.

Copies of thiapatent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patente,

. Washington, D. C. 

